The Burden of Choice
by BlueBumbler
Summary: Megaman and Protoman meet in battle due to another scheme of Dr. Wily's. However, their arguing leads them into deeper subjects... Perhaps, having the ability to feel and think on their own is as much of a curse as it is a blessing. Inspired by watching a bunch of the old Mega Man cartoon, as well as a lot of Evangelion.


The city had once again been turned into a battlefield due to Doctor Wily's latest attack on humanity. Some buildings were crumbling in on themselves while others were on fire and burning to the ground, the black pavement, that had once been streets, blown apart and not even resembling something that had once been drivable.

The sounds of plasma fire ripped through the air, explosions sounding when shots missed their intended mark and instead slammed into an evacuated building. Smoke billowed heavily from smoldering ruins, reaching high into the sky.

It pained Megaman to see his city, his home, being ravaged like this. But, this was his reason for fighting. To protect his home, and the world, from Wily's dream of recreating the social structure of the Earth to place reploids in control rather than humans.

And this was the reason he was staring down his brother in combat once more, their eyes narrowed on one another. At one end of the ruined street, Megaman stood his ground, cannon smoking from the heat of previously released shots.

And at the other end stood Protoman, the maverick smirking as his gold scarf billowed on the wind, a hand on his hip in a nonchalant manner. "Sheesh, you're stubborn, bro." he mused, cannon lifted and at the ready as he watched his half brother closely. "Still protecting the human race even though you've obviously lost. Doc has finally figured out a plan that can't fail!" he proclaimed with a laugh.

Megaman only scowled, cannon beginning to glow with charging energy as he replied. "I'm not finished yet! I haven't lost until I'm dead!" he growled - before releasing a full charge at Protoman, the other quickly using his powerful legs to launch himself into the air, avoiding the shot and flipping upside down to fire off multiple shots at the blue reploid.

Who quickly jumped back and out of the way, the shots exploding against the pavement and sending chunks of debris into the air. He shielded his face briefly from the burning chunks before quickly taking aim and firing again on Protoman.

The shots missed the mavrick as he fell back to the ground, his feet landing with a heavy thud - before suddenly charging his brother, the force of each powerful step leaving small craters in the pavement.

Megaman fired three more shots, which were easily avoided, before having to switch his cannon arm back into a hand when the full force of the other slammed into him, their hands locked together as they struggled.

Protoman smirked, gritting his teeth as he pushed hard, trying to overpower the other. "You know... it's not to late to join the winning team, bro." he mused, his voice strained.

"I will never join you, Protoman." he growled, panting from the struggle to suck in air to cool his heated systems. "I'm not like you, I can't justify killing thousands of innocent humans!"

The maverick's green eyes narrowed sharply beneath his cracked visor, snarling as he pushed harder against Megaman, causing him to slide back. "Innocent?! Are you honestly that stupid?! Humans are the evil ones, not us." he snarled, glaring into Megaman's blue eyes. "They are inconsiderate of the needs or feelings of others, they care only about themselves. They hate and forsake their own kind!"

Megaman pushed back, trying to regain the ground he had lost as he snarled. "That's not true! I've seen humans do great things! You can't judge the world based on the actions of a couple people who have treated you badly!"

"A couple people?" sneered Protoman breathlessly, his arms quivering from the pressure they were under. "Bro, all through history humans have been fighting and killing one another, destroying their own world. They've been corrupt since they've been on this Earth!" he yowled - before yelping when Megaman overpowered him, causing him to stumble back before falling when a harsh punch connected with his cheek.

Panting, Megaman stood over his brother, glaring down on him. "Fighting and disagreeing with one another is natural. Differing opinions make them human, prove that they are individual and unique among others. It's how they were created."

Quivering faintly, Protoman pushed himself up with one hand, the other moving to wipe the synthetic blood from his now split lip, smirking up to Megaman. "How they were created, eh?God created man... and man created us. Try as they might, humans can't recreate a soul, so they say that we're not truly alive, but simply running off of a super advanced A.I." he mused, starting to stand once more. "But we know that's not true, don't we, Mega? We feel emotion, we feel pain, we think on our own. Could a soulless being do that? What if, through a failed species, God created a higher being?"

Megaman transformed his arm back into it's cannon form when the other got to his feet, quivering as he glared. "Humans can't comprehend the thought that something they created somehow possess a soul. We can't expect them to. And I don't believe that God put us on this Earth to replace them!" he growled furiously.

Protoman only smirked. "Think about it, brother. This world is falling into ruin, and the humans are to blame. Don't you see?" he started, taking a step closer to Megaman. "Humans are inferior to us in every way. Their bodies are weak, easily broken. Ours are near indestructible. They have to study for years to be considered 'smart', and we can simply download everything we need to know in a matter of seconds."

The blue reploid took a quick step back, growling. "Because the humans created us that way! Don't you get it?! Without the humans, we wouldn't even exist! We owe them our lives!"

Protoman scowled, eyes narrowing dangerously. "The humans don't even understand what they've created! We owe them nothing!" he yowled, lunging at the other and quickly jumping into the air to avoid a blast from the plasma cannon, coming down hard to kick off of Megaman's chest and knock him to the ground. The force sent him skidding across the torn up street, deep gashes and cuts marring his synthetic flesh.

Quickly regaining control of his body, he slammed his hand down on the pavement to stop himself, using the momentum to back flip back onto his feet, panting and quivering as synthetic blood seeped heavily down his frame. "So you're telling me you owe Light and Wily nothing?!" he shouted while charging a shot and quickly firing on Protoman once more, the blast skimming his side and hip as he hadn't been fast enough on his dodge to avoid the blast completely.

Though he didn't let the pain of the burn slow him down, charging his brother as he returned fire on him. "Light just created us to serve humanity! Wily understands our true potential! We are practically gods among mortals!"

Megaman quickly dodged the shots, wincing as a few came too close, feeling the heat of the plasma. "We were meant to use this power to protect humanity, not destroy it!" he shouted, stumbling back as Protoman continued to fire on him - before crying out when a shot exploded against his shoulder, leaving a deep burn that oozed synthetic blood. And before he could react, a hand came around his throat, clamping down tight and cutting off the vents that allowed him to pull in air.

Protoman quivered, teeth grit furiously as he gripped the throat tight, glaring at his brother as he choked and struggled to breath, a blue hand trying to pry his red one away. "Brother... why can't you see it all as clearly as I do? Humans are only a chapter in history. A bad one, at that! Their time for extinction is long past due, and we are the reapers!" he snarled, squeezing tighter as he started to lift the blue plated reploid off the ground, quivering with rage. "Why?! Why are you so blind?! In Wily's world, we can live together in peace! We can be brothers! But, Light... he's filled your head with all this 'protect humanity' crap. He's using you to prolong the destruction of this evil race. And you're falling for it!"

Megaman coughed, choking as he struggled to breath around the unyielding grip, kicking at Protoman in an attempt to free himself. "W-Wily... is human... t-too..." he managed to gasp out, his voice strained and raspy.

The red and grey plated maverick grimaced, grip on the throat loosening faintly. "Exactly. Like I told ya before, humans ignore the needs of others and forsake their own kind. Wily wasn't given a chance, no one tried to understand him. They only branded him as weird and insane. Someone they didn't want to be seen associating with." he growled, green eyes narrowing once more on his struggling brother before he released his neck, watching as he fell to the ground to cough harshly, grasping his sore neck.

Glaring weakly, Megaman responded with a hoarse voice. "L-Light gave him a chance... And Wily turned on him." he growled before giving a cry of pain when Protoman's foot slammed into his chest, pinning him to the ground.

"Light used him to get what he wanted!" he snarled, baring his teeth furiously before he knelt down on his brother's chest to be closer to him, speaking once more. "But not anymore... After we cleanse this world, no one will use us like that again." he growled deeply - before tensing when Megaman's cannon was suddenly pressed to his chest, right above the mechanical 'heart' that kept him alive.

The blue reploid quivered, glaring up into Protoman's visor, seeing his widened, green eyes beneath. "So that's what all of this is really about... Wily's grudges against those who have supposedly wronged him. Wily wants to create a world that's filled with beings that will always accept him and never wrong him." he started, pressing his cannon harder against the maverick's chest. "But Wily isn't the only person in the world to be wronged, Protoman. People are treated like trash every day, humans and reploids alike. They have to move on and forget about it, not let it eat away at them until they hate the world and everything in it."

Protoman quivered, frowning as he watched his brother closely, hating that he now held his life in his hands. "So, we should just accept that others are going to treat us like garbage for no reason and go on with our lives?" he asked with a disgusted growl. "Why? Who does that help? The world we want to create is so much better..."

Megaman frowned, shaking his helm. "You can't create a perfect world... It's not possible. The world you want to create will have it's own problems. Reploids will fight with other reploids, say hurtful things, insult others for no good reason, and then what? Will you wipe out reploids too?"

"That won't happen!" he snarled, fist clenching. "Listen to you, you're so brainwashed by the humans, you don't even have any hope of a world better than this one! You just accept their stupidity and cruelty as the way the world should be!"

The cannon quivered softly against Protoman's chest, Megaman watching his brother sadly. "And you're so brainwashed by Wily that you actually think you're on the good side..." he said quietly, almost more to himself than the being above him.

Though Protoman shook his helm. "I AM on the good side! We are in the right, not those humans! I've been trying to get you to understand this! To join us and fight for a better world with me!" shouted the red plated being desperately.

And Megaman quivered to see a small drop of liquid fall from beneath the dark visor, sliding down to cling to Protoman's chin before falling to splash against Megaman's dirty, battle scarred chest, leaving a wet bead there. And he gently lifted his free hand to cup his brother's cheek, shaking his helm sadly as he wiped the tears away. "You're wrong... Humans aren't perfect, but they have the right to live. Just like we do."

Protoman shivered softly, not moving from his knelt position over his brother, frowning sadly as tears continued to stream wet paths down his cheeks. "No, you're wrong. I won't just take pity on them like you do, I can't! I hate them!" he shouted, more tears dripping onto Megaman's chest. "I'll never stop... Not until they're all under our rule or dead..."

That had the blue reploid shaking his helm quickly, pressing his cannon harder against Protoman's chest, charging it hesitantly. "Please, Protoman, don't make me have to -"

"Have to what? Kill me?" he interrupted sharply, wincing as he could feel the heat of the plasma burning against his chest, glaring through tear blurred, green eyes. "Are you really prepared to kill me? Your own brother? Just to save a race that's already killing itself?"

Megaman quivered as he watched Protoman, feeling the tears dripping onto his chest. He could end Protoman's life easily. One charged shot through his chest would kill him quickly, almost painlessly. Doing so would ensure that he would never threaten humanity again. Or, he could let him live, let him escape to Wily for repairs and keep a clear conscience while putting the world at risk.

The maverick watched his brother closely, not making a move to escape as the cannon remained pressed to his chest, the blue hand still cupping his cheek. "Make your choice..."

Those words weighed heavy on Megaman's heart, cannon charged and ready to release death upon his brother. But Megaman himself was not ready to make that decision, struggling with what he knew was best for the world and what was best for himself... Was it selfish to forsake the world's safety for the safety of his brother? Or was it selfish of the world to force him into choosing millions of people he didn't even personally know, over his only brother?

His cannon remained at the ready, quivering as he struggled with his own thoughts, part of him wondering if Protoman's words had held truth to them while another part argued against it.

Perhaps there was no right answer. No good outcome.

But that possibility still left him with a choice.

Protoman, or humanity. Who did he love more?

How could he be expected to choose..?


End file.
